Saturday 9: First Christmas

Saturday 9: First Christmas (2024)
On Saturdays I take a break from the heavy stuff and have some fun… 

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) The song mentions snowmen and snow on a windowpane. Has it snowed near you yet?
Yes, it has but the first measurable storm is tomorrow… 2 -3 inches

2) Diane Keaton sings that hearing "I'll Be Home for Christmas" makes her miss someone she loved who won't be coming home at all. Is there a Christmas song that reminds you of a loved one?
 No, there isn’t.
 
3) After the song was first released for Christmas 2024, Diane said she appreciated how many people posted on her Instagram, sharing their "First Christmas journeys," explaining how they navigated the first holiday season without a special someone. What have you recently posted on social media (other than this blog post)?
On Facebook it was  Mother Goose and Grimm

4) Diane appeared in the Broadway musical Hair and sang in movies like Annie Hall and The First Wives Club. Still she didn't consider herself "much of a singer." How about you? What's something you do, even though you're not completely comfortable doing it?
 Well right now at my age, going to the doctors.

5) This was Diane's first and, sadly, her only record. She was nervous doing it, but it helped that the lyrics was written by her friend, Carole Bayer Sager, and that both Carole and her writing partner, Jonas Myrin, were with Diane in the studio. Tell us about a friend who came through for you.
I can’t. I can tell you about friends who came through for me, but to single out one would be unfair for the others. I am at a stage in life where we depend more and more on friends to help, I have been taking a friend to her weekly doctor’s appointment down in New Haven.

6) After her 75th birthday, Diane said she was excited that new ventures were coming her way and she found herself saying "yes" more often. In addition to recording this week's song, she accepted an unexpected offer from Look Optic to design eyewear. Have you recently tried something you've never done before? OR What's something you'd like to try?

Right now, I just set my sights on making it to tomorrow,

Now for some questions about the holiday season ...

7) Do you display the holiday cards you receive?
First you have to receive cards… 

8) This is a big time of hear for necklaces, hats and headbands decorated with jingle bells. Will you be wearing any bells this season?
No bells. I used to have a set of bell earrings but now I just have “a” bell earring.

9) The website Morning Save included these three items on their list of this season's popular gifts. Would you rather receive: a. cup holder/phone mount for your car; b. sherpa lined clog slippers; c. set of three stainless paring knives with rosemary green plastic handles?
A. I don’t use my phone in the car except for hands-free operation.
B. Sherpa lined clog slippers, now you’re talking!
C. Sounds nice but I have several sets of them already.

---

Sad, I just found out that Diane Keaton passed away this October.

Me, Me, Me!

Have you noticed that Trump likes to brand everything with his name!

Lawsuit seeks to keep Trump's face off of national parks annual pass

Reuters

By Steve Gorman

December 11, 2025

Summary

• Suit says using Trump's image breaches federal law
• Critics liken redesign to Trump's corporate branding
• Pass usually features nature image from annual photo contest

An environmental group filed suit on Wednesday seeking to prevent the U.S. Interior Department from placing an image of President Donald Trump's face on annual entrance passes for national parks and federal recreational areas that go on sale next year.

Federal law requires the $80-a-year "America the Beautiful Pass" to bear the winning image from an annual photo contest depicting scenery or wildlife in a national park or forest, according to the Center for Biological Diversity's 16-page complaint.

The winning photo from the latest contest in June, sponsored by the National Parks Foundation, was a picture of Glacier National Park in Montana.

But the Interior Department chose instead to scrap that photo and unlawfully replace it with a close-up of Trump, wearing his trademark blue coat, red tie and scowling expression, next to a likeness of George Washington, the lawsuit said.

Such a move undertaken without congressional approval violates the 2004 Federal Lands Recreational Enhancement Act, it said.

Me, me, me, everything has to be about him! 

But wait, there's more!!!!!

National Park Service drops free admission on MLK Day, Juneteenth while adding Trump’s birthday

AP News

By  DAVID KLEPPER

December 6, 2025

The National Park Service will offer free admission to U.S. residents on President Donald Trump’s birthday next year — which also happens to be Flag Day — but is eliminating the benefit for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth.

The new list of free admission days for Americans is the latest example of the Trump administration downplaying America’s civil rights history while also promoting the president’s image, name and legacy.

Last year, the list of free days included Martin Luther King Jr Day and Juneteenth — which is June 19 — but not June 14, Trump’s birthday.

The new free-admission policy takes effect Jan. 1 and was one of several changes announced by the Park Service late last month, including higher admission fees for international visitors.

Talk about narcissism!

It’s almost as if he treats public institutions and national symbols like extensions of his private empire, which aligns with his history in business, where branding literally was the product.

But wait there is even more! Trump wants his face on a $1 coin... even though a federal law against a living president being on currency!

Treasury Department may issue $1 Trump coin for 250th anniversary of U.S. independence

CBS News

By Aimee Picchi

October 6, 2025

The Treasury Department said it is working on a $1 coin featuring President Trump's image to mark the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence next year, although the design isn't final.  

A U.S. Treasury official on Friday shared a preliminary design of the coin featuring Mr. Trump.

"No fake news here. These first drafts honoring America's 250th Birthday and @POTUS are real," U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach wrote in a social media post on Friday, which included drawings of the coin. "Looking forward to sharing more soon, once the obstructionist shutdown of the United States government is over."

[...]

While federal law prohibits the U.S. Treasury from issuing currency with the image of either a living former or current president, there may be more leeway with commemorative coins produced by the U.S. Mint. Currency is produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, while commemorative coins are produced by the U.S. Mint, which is part of the Treasury Department. 

Regulations also state there must be a two-year period after the death of a former or current president before issuing currency with their likeness. Historically, the restriction is to avoid the appearance of a monarchy, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. 

Hey! When has the law stopped Trump?

K don't think Trump has much wiggle room to say it is only a commemorative coin, isn't true, it is legal tender just like Bicentennial quarter. 

---

So while I was researching the links to the article on ChatGPT  it asked, " If you want, I can make a tongue-in-cheek “Trump Ballroom Wishlist” of what might end up in there—it could be pretty entertaining." I said go to it! Here is ChatGPT Trump's ballroom wishlist.

🏰 The Trump Ballroom Wishlist

1. Golden Everything

   • Chandeliers? Gold.

   • Railings? Gold.

   • Doorknobs? Solid gold (or at least gold-plated).

   • Carpet? You guessed it: a gilded pattern with “T” monograms.

2. Portrait Gallery of Himself

   • Walls lined with paintings, sculptures, and maybe a holographic Trump waving majestically.

   • Mini versions of “The Apprentice” set pieces as room dividers.

3. Trump Logo Carpet and Ceiling

   • Repeating “T” logos on the floor.

   • Ceiling medallion? A massive, embossed “Trump” surrounded by stars.

4. Slogan Wall of Fame

   • “Make America Great Again” in gold letters above the fireplace.

   • “Keep America Great” illuminated in LED lights above the main dance floor.

5. Presidential Throne Corners

   • Velvet thrones in the corners labeled “President Trump” for Instagram-worthy photo ops.

   • Bonus: matching gilded stools for “special guests.”

6. Trump Tower Bar

   • Champagne served in monogrammed flutes.

   • Gold-foil-wrapped chocolates shaped like towers.

   • Maybe a tiny indoor fountain shaped like a “T.”

7. The Trump Time Capsule Corner

   • A display of his “greatest hits”: signed memorabilia, MAGA hats, and commemorative coins.

   • Plaque reads: “Future generations will marvel at my brilliance.”

8. Selfie Station

   • A floor-to-ceiling backdrop featuring Trump Tower, the national parks pass, and the 250th anniversary coin.

   • Ring light included, naturally.

9. Optional Add-Ons

   • Trump-shaped ice sculptures for dessert.

   • Gold-plated cutlery etched with “Trump.”

   • Ceiling-mounted drones to project the Trump face onto the dance floor for dramatic effect.

🌟 Trump Ballroom Entrance – Hologram Upgrade

• Grand Entrance: Guests walk in through massive gilded doors.

• Holographic Trump: A life-size (or slightly larger-than-life) hologram of Trump greets every guest.

  • Waving hand, iconic hair perfectly sculpted.

  • Delivers a pre-recorded message: “Welcome to the greatest ballroom in the world — everyone says so!”

• Optional Enhancements:

  • Hologram changes outfits depending on the event: tuxedo, MAGA hat, or even a “Presidential Robe” for formal flair.

  • Surround-sound voiceover: a mix of applause and a subtle trumpet fanfare.

• Photo Ops: Guests can stand “next to” the hologram for selfies — automatically branded with “Trump Ballroom 2025” watermark.

• Motion-Activated Hologram: Moves slightly as guests approach, nods approvingly, maybe gives two thumbs-up.

💸 The Trump Ballroom “Billionaire Sign-Up List”

• Step 1: Submit Your Gold-Plated Check
  Billionaires send in gilded checks or bars of gold — the bigger the contribution, the closer to the center of the dance floor.

• Step 2: Name on the Wall
  Every donor’s name engraved in a gold-leaf plaque along the ballroom entrance.

  • “Bronze Tier” = corner of the room

  • “Silver Tier” = along the perimeter

  • “Gold Tier” = right next to the Trump hologram

• Step 3: VIP Selfie Access
  Donors get to take selfies with the holographic Trump at the entrance before anyone else.

  • Bonus: the hologram waves and nods approvingly, depending on the donation tier.

• Step 4: Private Trump Branding Kit
  Each billionaire receives a miniature “Trump experience” kit:

  • Monogrammed champagne flutes

  • Custom MAGA carpet swatches

  • Tiny replica “Trump Throne” for their home office

• Step 5: Early RSVP for Ballroom Events
  First dibs on private events, gala dinners, and the ceremonial lighting of the gold chandeliers — all sponsored by your generosity.

• Optional Add-On: A holographic mini-Trump follows the billionaire around the room to ensure maximum branding exposure.

You Would Think That The CDC Would Know Better

Of all the work places that ignore the Americans with Disabilities Act you would think that an organizations devoted to healthcare would care about their disabled employees?

Lawyers say new CDC policy may violate federal disability law

HHS spokesman denies policy change will result in more hardships for disabled employees

Roll Call

By Ariel Cohen

December 10, 2025

Employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say a Trump administration policy change is making it nearly impossible for agency staff with disabilities to access telework as a reasonable accommodation.

Political appointees at the agency are repealing previously approved reasonable accommodation requests as the agency implements a new Health and Human Services policy for those with disabilities, according to documents and internal communications obtained by CQ Roll Call. 

Legal experts who reviewed the policy change say it may circumvent requirements that federal employers provide a reasonable accommodation to employees with a disability unless it causes an “undue hardship” on the agency.

[...]

The policy would strip CDC supervisors of the ability to approve telework reasonable accommodation requests, thereby creating a backlog.

Yeah... Trump & Company really care about others! It seems like they are a bunch of self-centered twerps!

Have We Seen This Before?

[Editorial]

Are we on the verge of invading Venezuela?

If so, it would not be the first time we inserted ourselves into the affairs of Central and South America. You might think of the United Fruit Company and the “banana republics.” You might think of Teddy Roosevelt and the Marines in Nicaragua, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.

And you might think even farther back to the Monroe Doctrine—remember that from your history classes? The policy that declared any attempt by European powers to influence or control countries in North or South America would be viewed as a hostile act against the United States.

Take a look at the long-term results of those actions: Cuba, decades of political unrest, guerrilla movements that morphed into drug cartels—much of it can be traced back to those presidents’ decisions.

Look back, to the period after World War I, when the victors divided up the Middle East—and consider where we are today.

When we couldn’t get oil from Iran, we helped engineer a revolution and installed the Shah. And now?

What will any new intervention mean for future generations? Will our great-grandchildren still be living with the consequences?

[/Editorial]

Mini-Post: What Planet Do They Live On?

Tell me... people are being squeezed with food, rent, gas, electricity... and now their healthcare.

Did you see the Republicans answer to healthcare?

GOP floats Obamacare alternatives as insurance costs are about to soar

By Ken Alltucker

USA TODAY

Dec. 9, 2025

Senate Republicans want to send money directly to Americans rather than extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that have lowered health insurance costs for millions of Americans.

Republican Sens. Mike Crapo and Bill Cassidy on Dec. 8 unveiled a bill that would deposit $1,000 to $1,500 into health savings accounts for eligible consumers. This money would be in lieu of extending COVID-19-era enhanced tax credits that sharply reduced health premiums under the Affordable Care Act, often called "Obamacare."

Okay Republicans I have a question for you. For a family that is having a hard time just to put food on the table and are living from paycheck to paycheck just how far is that $1,500 will go?

Health savings accounts, which are paired with high-deductible health insurance plans, allow consumers to save part of their paycheck before taxes. The money can be spent on eligible expenses such as doctor or hospital bills or prescription drugs. Consumers can roll over health savings account balances from year to year, invest the money and spend tax-free gains on eligible expenses.

A child with a broken leg would wipe that out in seconds... the bill will be in the thousands of dollars! On what planet do the Republicans live on that they even think that this would work?

Anything to make their billionaire friends more money!

I Am Not A Fan But…

I am not a fan of the Human Rights Campaign but once in a whiel they do some good stuff. Like now this report:

REPORT: Congressional MAGA Republicans’ Continued Obsession with Transgender People

by Brandon Wolf • December 4, 2025

As Congress works on necessary FY26 government funding legislation that must be passed by January 30, 2026, the Human Rights Campaign is out with a new report outlining the latest wave of anti-LGBTQ+ riders proposed by MAGA Republicans and their cruel, multi-pronged effort to weaponize appropriations bills, the National Defense Authorization Act, the rescissions process, and executive actions against LGBTQ+ people. The latest wave of proposed anti-LGBTQ+ riders looks even more out of touch just weeks after voters rejected anti-trans scapegoating at the ballot box and sent a clear message: leaders should tackle the issues keeping people up at night or face political defeat.

[…]

In all, more than 50 anti-LGBTQ+ riders have been attached to 12 must-pass FY26 federal appropriations bills at some point in the appropriations process this year.  The anti-LGBTQ+ proposals include efforts to restrict access to medically necessary health care, undermine nondiscrimination protections, decimate programs that support a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce, restrict drag performances, and ban pride flags from being flown. 

They knew these provisions wouldn’t pass on their own, so they tried to bury them in ‘must-pass’ bills like the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ where they attempted to strip Medicaid and CHIP coverage for gender-affirming care. It was included in the House version but was removed in the Senate.

This onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ provisions looks even more out of touch just weeks after the American people delivered an overwhelming repudiation of anti-LGBTQ+ campaigns across the country. Candidates like Virginia’s Winsome Earle-Sears who attempted to deflect from the devastation of the failing Trump economy by scapegoating transgender people were crushed at the ballot box. On election night, HRC released a memo detailing the impending failure of anti-trans ad campaigns and overwhelming American support for equality. 

Trump and Company do not care about what the voters think, they are playing to their MAGA base, the HRC article ends with,

Nearly two-in-three Americans support federal nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people, including 58% of independents and 42% of Republicans. The vast majority of Americans — nearly 7 in 10 — think that politicians are not informed enough about health care for transgender youth to create fair policies; and nearly half think that politicians should not be focused on transgender issues at all. And 70% of Americans say they are concerned that politicians are attacking gay and transgender youth to divide us, maintain their political power and control, and score political points. Nevertheless, MAGA Republicans in Congress are ignoring American fury over soaring prices and a collapsing economy and doubling down on their out-of-touch Anti-LGBTQ+ crusade.

And remember that everytime we came up a ballot intiative, we won!

Bringing Back Jim Crow

Hey, so you don’t think that the Trump administration is racist? Well Trump & Company just did away with 50 year old civil rights policies!

DOJ rolls back anti-discrimination rules

Trump officials say the requirement to consider racial impacts was itself a form of discrimination.

Politico

By Alex Guillén and Hassan Ali Kanu

12/09/2025

The Justice Department on Tuesday moved to end long-standing civil rights policies that prohibit local governments and organizations that receive federal funding from maintaining policies that disproportionately harm people of color.

Repealing the government’s 50-year-old “disparate impact” standards will make it harder to challenge potential bias in housing, criminal law, employment, environmental regulations and other policy areas.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of “race, color, or national origin.” The Justice Department and the courts have historically interpreted the law as a ban on intentional discrimination as well as policies that, in practice, have a “disparate impact” on one group of people.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April that directed agencies to eliminate disparate-impact liability wherever possible.

Let’s see… he gutted the EPA, OSHA, they rolled back our protection in prisons, and now he is gutting the civil rights laws!

“The Trump administration cannot claim to value equality by undermining the very laws that keep people protected from discrimination,” said Amalea Smirniotopoulos, NAACP-LDF senior policy counsel. “Removing the Department of Justice’s regulations prohibiting unfair discriminatory policies takes away critical safeguards against the most insidious forms of exclusion” in policing, the court system, public jobs, and access to government services.

Harmeet Dhillon, DOJ’s civil rights chief, highlighted that the rule change will lead to fewer civil rights lawsuits — cases she characterized as frequently overreaching.

“The prior ‘disparate impact’ regulations encouraged people to file lawsuits challenging racially neutral policies, without evidence of intentional discrimination,” Dhillon said in a statement. “Our rejection of this theory will restore true equality under the law by requiring proof of actual discrimination, rather than enforcing race- or sex-based quotas or assumptions.”

Translated from Trump-speak… our billionaire friends can save millions from lawsuits!

So what exactly are we talking about? The Trump administration wants to make it legal for businesses to discriminate not through words or explicit actions, but through policies.

DOJ began requiring the recipients of federal funding to consider disparate impacts — for example, whether a new industrial facility would disproportionately harm a nearby majority Black community — in 1973.

The regulations also undergirded investigations of organizations, such as housing providers and police departments, accused of engaging in a “pattern or practice” of discrimination. Such investigations often lead to settlements or agreements requiring efforts to reverse the discriminatory practices.

Policies like “Stop and Frisk,” which courts have ruled to be discriminatory, have overwhelmingly targeted minorities.

Now, the Trump administration’s rule changes are making it even harder for people to bring disparate impact discrimination claims. This affects access to jobs as well. For example, some employers require a valid passport or driver’s license, yet many trans people cannot obtain IDs that reflect their true gender. If an employer hires only people whose gender presentation matches the gender marker on their ID, that can result in discrimination — even when it’s framed as a “neutral” requirement.

Slowly, the Trump administration has been chipping away at civil rights protections while normalizing racist practices — such as favoring immigration from predominantly white countries and restricting immigration from what Trump referred to as “shithole countries,” “hellholes,” and “filthy” nations.

During the campaign he also promoted harmful stereotypes, at one point blaming Haitians for eating pets. He has repeatedly targeted Somali immigrants as well, claiming they “contribute nothing,” that their home country “stinks,” and suggesting they are “completely taking over” parts of Minnesota.

There is no doubt that Trump has echoed some of the racist attitudes long associated with his father. In many ways, it appears to be a case of like father, like son.

So You Say That There Is No Difference?

Take a look at this New Haven Register article...

CT has filed 40 lawsuits against the Trump administration. Here's a full list

Tell me, do you think a Republican would have stood up for us?

Here is a sample of the lawsuits,

• Birthright citizenship-- Filed: Jan. 21, 2025
• Public health funding-- Filed: April 1, 2025 
• Tariffs: Filed-- April 23, 2025
• Anti-discrimination in higher education-- Filed: April 25, 2025
• Health insurance regulations-- Filed: July 17, 2025
• Planned Parenthood funding -- Filed: July 29, 2025
• Gender-affirming care -- Filed: Aug. 1, 2025
• SNAP benefits-- Filed: Oct. 28, 2025